Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik on Thursday slammed the Naveen Patnaik Government in the State and the Narendra Modi regime at the Centre alleging that they have failed to resolve farmers’ plights and are, instead, focussing on self-propaganda only.
“The BJD Government has failed to stop farmer suicides and the BJP Government has betrayed farmers by not providing support and focusing on campaign only,” said Patnaik.
Congress leaders and workers staged a dharna at lower PMG here protesting the alleged callous attitude of both the Governments towards farmers.
Patnaik alleged that the BJD Government has paid no heed to the issues of death of farmers and drought situation, which continues to be alarming in the State.
“It is the constitutional responsibility of the State Government to look after the farmers and seek the Centre’s help to resolve their plights. The Government failed to stop farmer suicide as the drought package was faulty.” Patnaik said.
Patnaik said the Government failed to prepare any contingency plan for protection of farmers.
Senior Congress leader Sarat Pattnaik said the package has many loopholes with agriculture input subsidy of Rs 6,800 per hectare announced for rain-fed and non-irrigated areas and Rs 13,500 per hectare under assured irrigation areas.
“The BJD regime has also failed to understand that most of the farmers who committed suicide were small and marginal farmers and they had borrowed from private moneylenders and not from any Government agency,” said senior Congress leader Sura Routaray.
leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Narasingha Mishra termed the Narendra Modi Government as "anti-farmer" and alleged that the State Government's wrong policies have farmers to live in miserable conditions.
He alleged that the Modi Government has betrayed people by not providing employment and right MSP for farm produces and failing to control petrol and diesel prices. He too slammed the Centre on issues of administration and national security. The leaders alleged that the lowest ever agriculture growth at 1.9 per cent was marked under the Modi Government du the last four years as compared to 4.2 per cent under the Congress-led UPA Government between 2004-2014. “It is a tragic that while 35 farmers are committing suicide every 24 hours, the Modi Government has refused to 'waive farm loans,” lamented Mishra.